Any time a police officer
is on duty, they put their lives on the line.
Although they stay protected with bullet proof vest, some in the Richmond
County Sheriff's Office are looking to the community for help when it comes to
better protection. WJBF News Channel 6's
Barclay Bishop has more.

The effort was started by
fallen officer, Deputy Alton Creech. Because
Creech worked with the motor unit, he had quietly taken it upon himself to try
and raise funds for better bullet proof vests.
Currently, each officer in the unit wears a vest, but there are ones out
there that could provide even better protection than what they already have. The new vests would be lighter in weight and
would better protect against higher caliber guns.

“There's a big
difference between stopping a vehicle for a traffic violation on a motorcycle
and a car,” said Corporal Mike Lewis of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office's
motor unit. “With a car you have a lot
more cover because you have an entire car that you can hide behind if you need
to. With us, with a motorcycle, all we
have is a motorcycle as far as cover and protection. We're a smaller unit, we're a little bit
closer because of our size and we weren't, all of us weren't aware that he was
working on this for us. So it was a
surprise, it wasn't a shock because he always looked out for other people and
we're just happy and hopefully it will happen.”

Each new vest can cost anywhere
between $1,000 and $3,000. There are 9
officers within the motor unit.

How to donate:

RCSO Benevolent Fund

400 Walton Way

Augusta, GA 30901

*Include a note that you
are making a donation on behalf of Deputy Creech